Naval historian to speak at Devens March 15

Naval historian Michael G. Walling will recount tales of sacrifice and heroism by U.S. seamen during the Battle of the Atlantic on Saturday, March 15, at the Fort Devens Museum.

Starting at 1 p.m., he’ll discuss the role of the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy escorting convoys during throughout World War II.

An expert on 20th century American naval history, Walling wrote “Bloodstained Sea: the U.S. Coast Guard in the Battle of the Atlantic 1941-44," which won the 2005 Samuel Eliot Morrison Award for Naval Literature.

A U.S. Coast Guard officer for six years, he more recently wrote “Forgotten Sacrifice: the Arctic Convoys in World War II,’’ which used accounts by American and Soviet sailors to describe the hardships of bringing convoys through Arctic waters.

The event is free and open to the public though donations are appreciated. The Fort Devens Museum is located on the third floor at 94 Jackson Road, Devens. The building is wheelchair accessible.